VERBUM VITAE • 38/1 (2020) 125–147 ISSN 1644-856 / e-ISSN 2451-280X /https://czasopisma.kul.pl/vv/article/view/11245 DOI 10.31743/vv.11245 Received: Oct 23, 2020 / Accepted: Nov 5, 2020 / Published: Dec 21, 2020 The Hour of Jesus and the Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1-11) BERNADETA JOJKO Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy
[email protected], ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1270-346X 0000-0003-1270-346X Abstract: The leading theme of this article is the enigmatic “hour” as revealed in the account at Cana (John 2:1-11). Jesus’ words to his mother, οὔπω ἥκει ἡ ὥρα μου (2:4), are considered obscure and diffi- cult to interpret, causing an intriguing and unresolved controversy within Johannine scholarship. Most exegetes agree that this phrase is to be taken as a denial. According to them, Jesus announces that his hour has not yet come, because this “hour” is bound to the hour when “the Son of Man is glorified,” allud- ing to his being lifted up on the Cross and raised up “on the third day.” However, there is another solution suggested by a significant number of scholars. They propose reading Jesus’ words οὔπω ἥκει ἡ ὥρα μου as a question, which better guarantees the overall coherence of the story in light of the wider OT context. This interpretation focuses specifically on the temporal indication of “the third day,” the biblical image of the wedding, and the abundance and high quality of the wine, a beginning of signs and of the revelation of Jesus’ glory which serve to stimulate the faith of his disciples.